Historic Houses of West Sussex and their owners

by Viscountess Frances Wolseley

Published by Country Books
SUSSEX BOOK REVIEW

This is an unusual book - a collection of a series of articles which Viscountess Wolseley wrote for Sussex County Magazine between 1926 and 1935.

The fascination of the book is twofold.

First, the book stands as an interesting record of what some of the finest houses in West Sussex were like eighty years ago. In some cases the buildings seem familiar, in others quite a lot has changed - the houses have been converted into flats or schools, turned to ruin, or in some cases, been restored to a version of their former glory.

Secondly, many of the 70 houses described in the book are private residences today - and strictly off limits to the curious. This means that sharing a visitor's impression of these properties in the 1920s is the closest we can get today to appreciating their best features and characteristics.

Sussex Books

Sussex Guide Books

More books about interesting places in West Sussex.

Viscountess Wolseley's interesting life is the subject of a short and entertaining introduction by Richard Knowles and the articles themselves give a strong sense of Wolseley's confident personality.

Each chapter has the air of a guided tour, with the reader being led at a brisk pace from one room to another, with the interesting features being pointed out and the links to the great Sussex families who lived in the houses being drawn out in a factual and efficient manner.

One of the things that infuriates me about modern style magazines is the number of articles in which the current home owner boasts about how they 'saved a house' from dereliction and how the previous owners had allowed the property to go to ruin.

Wolseley's book makes it clear that this journalistic style is nothing new. If anything, she is even harsher than today's journalists - berating Mr Stovold's "lack of good taste" as he remodelled Stedham Hall in the 1840s, for example. At other times the Viscountess's flattery is slightly toe curling - to modern tastes at least.

While many of the great houses of West Sussex have been well-documented, Historic Houses of West Sussex and their Owners is a thoroughly interesting addition to the Sussex bookshelf because of its coverage of the lesser known treasures peppered across the county.

Like many older books, the style can be a little hard going at times, but it's worth the effort to persevere with.

Houses described in the book

Amblehurst at Wisborough Green
Arundel Castle at Arundel
Backsettown at Henfield
Barkfold House at Kirdford
Bosham Manor at Bosham
Capons at Cowfold
Chithurst Abbey at Rogate
Coke's House at Westburton
Crouchland at Kirdford
Cuckfield Place at Cuckfield
Danny at Hurstpierpoint
Dean at Tillington
Denne Park at Horsham
Drungewick Manor at Loxwood
Easebourne Priory at Midhurst
East Court at East Grinstead
East Mascalls at Lindfield
East Wantley Farm at Sullington
Ebernoe House near Petworth
Estcot's Farm House at East Grinstead
Ewhurst Manor at Henfield
Fryars at West Chiltingon
Glebe House at West Grinstead
Goodwood House at Goodwood
Gravetye Manor at West Hoathly
Great Surries at East Grinstead
Gulledge at East Grinstead
Hammonds Place at Clayton
Hickstead Place at Twineham
Hills Green at Kirdford
Hoyle Manor Farm near Heyshott
Idehurst at Kirdford
Legh Manor at Cuckfield
Lickfold Cottage at Lodsworth
Malling Priory at Lindfield
Manor Farm at Cocking
Mercers at Twineham
Needles at Horsham
Newtimber Place at Newtimber
Ockenden House at Cuckfield
Old Surrey Hall at East Grinstead
Olde Butter Box at Scaynes Hill
Olde Puch Bowl at Crawley
Oldland Mill House at Keymer
Pakyns Manor at Hurstpierpoint
Palistow Place at Plaistow
Pallingham Manor at Wisborough Green
Peppers at Ashurst
Petworth House at Petworth
Rowfant at Crawley
Selham Priory at Selham
Shillinglee Park at Kirdford
Shulbrede Priory at Linchmere
Slindon House at Slindon, now Slindon College
Slipe at Twineham
Smuggler's Cottage at Crawley Down
Soak Knowles at Tillington
Stansted Park near Westbourne
Stedham Hall at Stedham
Stopham House at Stopham
The Bishop's Palace at Chichester
The Blue Idol at Coolham
Tudor House at Petworth
Uppark near South Harting
Upper Lodge Cottage at Ardingly
Wantley Manor at Henfield
West Wantley at Storrington
Woodmancote Place at Woodmancote
Woolbeding House at Woolbeding

Book reviewed by Mark Hoult, West Sussex.info